


For Tomorrow

by Yrindor



Series: Sports Anime Shipping Olympics 2016 Fills [42]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Ambiguous/Open Ending, M/M, Prompt Fic, SASO 2016, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 21:47:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7455073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yrindor/pseuds/Yrindor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where hope was all but forgotten, two fighters rose from the rubble.  Whispered voices late at night spoke of the Golden Pair, humanity's last best hope for salvation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For Tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nobetterpicture](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobetterpicture/gifts).



> Written for Sports Anime Shipping Olympics 2016 Bonus Round 4. The prompt was:
>
>> "All that is gold cannot last."  
> -Robert Frost
> 
> Also fills the "dystopia" square for hurt/comfort bingo. 

In a world where war was a near-constant, and peace was nothing more than a distant memory, there rose from time to time fighters whose strength gave some small glimmer of hope to those around them. Out of the rubble of what once was the capitol rose one such team. At first glance, they didn't seem like anything special. They weren't the massive warriors who made others cower in their shadow or the silent assassins who could slip into dark places unseen. Alone, neither of them would have lasted long out in the wastelands, but together, they were unstoppable.

They seemed to come from nowhere one day. There was no pedigree, no great warrior they could name as a mentor, no army that had trained them, but it wasn't long before their name began spreading ahead of them. People called them the "Golden Pair," and they were seen as the best and perhaps last hope of a world in which little hope remained.

They came from the old capitol, but it wasn't long before they were making their way across the wastelands, fighting towards the strongholds in the north. The strange sickness that was slowly destroying the world had spread out from there, though in the years since the world had started dying, no one had ever made it into the stronghold itself. It was only ever said in hushed whispers over dying campfires late at night, but the rumors spread of the Golden Pair that was going to finally defeat the source of evil.

For Eiji and Oishi, there was no such grand goal. They fought only to protect one another, and for the promise of a world where they could live without constantly fearing for the other's safety. They started each day with the simple goal of making it to the end intact, and each day, they made it a little farther into the barren wastelands that surrounded the northern fortress.

The bandits they had faced at the beginning of their journey had fallen away as they left the edges of civilization and been replaced by strange, feral creatures that circled their campfire hungrily at night. As they approached the monolith of steel and stone that loomed over them, the animals vanished as well, being replaced by strange, mutant beings that seemed to be born of the very materials that made up the land around them.

They lost track of how many moons they had been traveling and fighting before they finally found themselves standing before massive, rusted doors. There had been no sign of another human for days, and they were both starving, having scraped by on the few stunted plants and small creatures they had been able to find. That night in their cold camp, Eiji turned to Oishi. "Tomorrow," he said.

"Tomorrow," Oishi agreed. "It all ends tomorrow. Depend on me."

"I will," Eiji agreed, taking Oishi's hand in his own.

Neither of them slept that night, sitting hand-in-hand and reflecting silently on what had been and what was to come. By mutual, unspoken agreement they rose and slipped through a gap in the rusted steel doors just as the sky turned grey with the weak pre-dawn light.

The empty hallways inside the fortress echoed with the sound of their footsteps as they made their way cautiously deeper and deeper. They didn't meet another living creature, but the strange hum emanating from deep inside told them they were approaching their goal.

It could have been hours or days later when they finally found themselves standing before a thick steel door that seemed out of place among the rest of the rusted metal and cracked stone. A sickly green light pulsed around the door, and they squeezed hands one last time before throwing the door open and sprinting inside, immediately falling into their standard fighting formation.

A massive machine took up most of the room, and they immediately knew they had found their target. As soon as they entered, the machine responded by sending thick cables whipping in their direction.

They fought as they always did, with Eiji taking the lead and pushing forward as Oishi defended his back and attacked through the openings he created. Eiji's stamina couldn't last forever though, and they were only halfway across the cavernous room when he stumbled. "Oishi," he yelled, and Oishi was immediately at his side.

"I've got it. I'll cover," Oishi promised, and Eiji crumpled from exhaustion. It was how they fought; Eiji was a strong fighter, but when his stamina ran out before the battle ended, Oishi would fight for both of them until he recovered and could take back the point.

It should have been no different this time, except the machine had more arms than anything they had fought before, and as it sent cables flying at them from all directions, Oishi knew he wouldn't be able to block them all.

He didn't hesitate before he moved, throwing himself forward and knocking aside the cables he could, using his body as a shield to protect his partner from the rest.

As the metal pierced deep into Oishi's body, Eiji jumped to his feet, ready to fight again. "I'm back!" he yelled, then hesitated when he saw the cables protruding from Oishi's chest.

 _GO!_ Oishi yelled, or would have yelled if it weren't for the blood filling his lungs. He fell forward, using the last of his strength to shove Eiji towards the heart of the machine and leaving a bloody handprint on his back.

The last thing he saw as he fell was Eiji sprinting towards the center of the room, intent only on destroying the infernal machine.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments and feedback are welcome and appreciated.


End file.
